And what I ate wasn’t bad either.

In what seems like is becoming a new Saturday tradition, Swan needed to go to the Subic Marketplace to purchase sweets for the Candy Walk. I needed to get some steps in, so this little piggy hiked to the market. I’ve had enough of highway walking, so to the extent possible, we took backroads through different neighborhoods. And Swan handed out biscuits and lollipops along the way.

And then evening rolled around. The plan was to do The Maze Bar Hop, so we kicked things off by having dinner at Jewel Cafe.

The steak was small, but tasty, and I ate it up with pleasure.

And now for the bar hop that wasn’t. The flyer said it kicked off at 7:00 p.m. at Sloppy Joe’s. We arrived there a bit after six and waited for things to get started. I passed the time with some beers. A little after seven, a group came in and went to a table in the back. There was no greeting or invite, so I went back to see what was happening. My presence wasn’t acknowledged, and I didn’t feel like I was welcome. Weird, I know. It turns out that the bar hop group had all met at Wet Spot, and then Sloppy Joe’s was the first stop. That was my misunderstanding. Since I hadn’t joined in at Wet Spot, they must not have known why I was there. Okay, well, I figured I’d go to stop #2, Green Room, and perhaps join when they arrived. So, more drinks while waiting. When it got to 7:30, and no bar hoppers had arrived, I asked the Green Room manager what was up. He told me they had changed the bar order, and Green Room was now the fourth destination. So, I shrugged and thought, oh well, it was just not meant to be.

It was 8 o’clock, I’d had eight beers, and that was enough. We called our trike driver and headed on home.

Here’s what those eights added up to yesterday:

So, the calorie app I’m using set my goal at 2317 daily calories. One of my smart readers suggested 1800 as a more aggressive target. When I tried to change the goal on the app, it said this:

I found a basal metabolic rate calculator on the internet and plugged in my stats. It says my BMR is 1996 calories per day. My results are at the link above, but I’m honestly confused now. I’m feeling fine at less than 1800 calories per day. I guess I need to do more research.

A memory from this day in 2017:

I posted this eight years ago after Trump was elected the first time:

And as long as we are talking politics, this seems apt:

Saw a post today where Tucker Carlson claims Mitch McConnel is plotting a Senate leadership vote with the intention of undermining Trump. I’ll need to read more about that before weighing in, but it sounds like something a RINO would do.

Today’s YouTube video is from a vlogger I’ve never watched before, Smart Girl Philippines. She was kind of fun to watch, at least for this six minutes about avoiding “traps” in the PI. Nothing wrong with her advice, it’s all pretty much common sense.

Let’s see if I can get a laugh out of you:

Okay, on with the Sunday routines…hungry girls at Hideaway, dinner with Swan at John’s, and then, we’ll see. Read all about it here tomorrow.

I was feeling a little flat, so I convinced my fellow Friday hikers to take a pleasant stroll in and around Subic town. No hills or thrills, but a peaceful, easy feeling as we marched along.

When beer o’clock rolled around, I took Swan to the beach.

It has a ground-floor beachside restaurant/bar that has not yet opened. My friend Jessa advised me that the upstairs bar was serving customers, so we climbed the stairs.

We only stayed for one beer, then hit the beach for a stroll. We’ll be back, especially after the food place downstairs opens.

We walked to Kokomo’s to see what was happening there. Still no floating bar, but we’re told it will be anchored late next week. We had a pleasant visit with the staff, bought them both a drink, and then headed over to Treasure Island for some grub.

Another early night, home by 7:30. Is that going to become the new normal? Not if I can help it! But the diet plan calls for a reduction in beer intake, and the easiest way to achieve that is to spend less time at the bar. At least for now.

Eight years ago, I was in Shenanigans, my favorite Itaewon hangout, celebrating the first time Donald Trump was elected President.

Six years ago, I got a welcome back to the Philippines after my journey to the USA from my pals at Alley Cats bar:

Setting politics aside, it only seems appropriate to wish Kamala well in her future endeavors.

Today’s YouTube video from the Filipina Pea talks about the “Love Scam” industry here in the Philippines. It’s like all those Nigerian Princes on overdrive. There are actually call centers set up where Filipinas work to make lonely foreign men fall in love with them. And send money, of course. Back when I was living in Korea and “meeting” Filipinas from the dating sites, I got burned once or twice. The worst example was the time I sent a woman airfare to come visit me. The fact that I didn’t just buy the ticket myself shows how naive I was. Anyway, lessons learned the hard way. My rule after that was never send money to anyone you have never met in person.

Here’s something to smile about:

To the future, then! There’s a Maze bar hop tonight in honor of Daddy Dave’s 83rd birthday.

Swan and I will dine at Jewel Cafe before the aMAZEing fun begins. Check back here tomorrow for all the gory details!

Donald Trump has many flaws, but he was our best option. I’m hopeful that he learned from his first-term mistakes and that he appoints competent and loyal team members. I’m excited about the prospect for change that visionary non-bureaucrats like Elon Musk will add to the mix. Trump has his work cut out for him cleaning up the mess left behind by four years of Biden-Harris insanity.

What I hope to see sooner than later:

• Borders secured, immigration laws enforced
• Restoring energy independence–drill, baby, drill!
• Reducing government spending to balance the budget and reduce inflation
• Eliminating as much of the worthless Federal bureaucracy as possible
• Stand strong against the aggression of our enemies (I’m looking at you, Iran)

That will be a good start to Making America Great Again.

Enough of politics, here in my corner of the world, life goes on much as it always has. Take the Wednesday Walkers for example.

Swan was enjoying her “me time” with family, and I was trying to keep an eye on how the election was going. Late in the afternoon, it became apparent that Trump would re-assume the throne. It seemed to me a celebration was in order, so I went out in search of a beer.

One beer led to another and then one more. I got a message that my neighbors and other like-minded Trump supporters were gathering at Thumbstar bar to embrace America’s victory. I walked up the highway to join in the fun.

By my reckoning, the vast majority of expats who still care about politics in the USA are Trump supporters. In my admittedly limited circle of acquittances, I only know one who professed a preference for Kamala. His reasoning? Trump is a Nazi. Yep, he drank the lefty Kool-Aid and lost the ability to think for himself. Oh, well, sorry for you. But if ignorance is bliss, you must be one happy guy!

We were in full-on party mode, and Maksil was buying rounds of drinks due to his excitement about the stock market surge. He expects to get richer thanks to our newly-elected President. In a sense, we all will once he brings inflation back down to earth. By my count, I enjoyed six more beers at Thumbstar before calling it a night. Alas, the dietary damage was not finished because I was hungry. Thumbstar was offering a “buy one, get one” food special, so I ordered a chicken shawarma and got another for free. They were both tasty and high in calories. Between the shawarma and beers, I exceeded my daily calorie allowance for the first time since I began my diet plan.

The future looks brighter for America and I hope to become a lesser man. We’ll see how things turn out.

Lots of memories to look back on today:

How about some more of those memories from Cambodia two years ago?

I loved both of my trips to Cambodia. It was my second choice as a retirement destination. No regrets with the move to the Philippines, but I may use one of my “do-over” lives to see how things might have been had I chosen to live there.

Today’s YouTube video comes from the Filipina Pea, who is doing what she does best: talking about some unique aspects of Filipino culture. She’s funny (and cute), and this is one I really enjoyed. It’s worth the watch!

Maybe these will give you something to smile about:

Alright, I have a special event to attend this morning: The 7-Eleven Hash Run. It happens twice a year (on seven November and July 7th. See how that works?). We’ll be the first Hash from the Philippines to participate in this international event. It involves a 7K highway hike during which we will visit seven 7-Elevens. Something a little different to enjoy. I’ll let you know how it goes tomorrow.

Today’s song also comes courtesy of Facebook memories. I posted this ten years ago, and it is still one of my favorite songs from Korea. The video tells a nice story to go with the song. Hope you like it!

It seems like I live my days in halves, walkohilic by day, alcoholic when the sun goes down. It is almost like having two days in one. Tuesday is usually my blandest weekday because I shop instead of walk, but that wasn’t the case yesterday. Here’s how it looked:

The grocery shopping went the same as it always does, but then I changed things up–I walked back to Barretto.

So, that was the morning adventure. When dinnertime arrived, the skies seemed angry:

When the rain finally let up, we headed out to our next stop, Alaska Club. I had a buy one, get one coupon to expend there. I did my usual thing of tipping the Alaska dancers fifty pesos each, and I had brought along some Choco-Pies to share. When the Sit-n-Bull waitress came by, I called her over and requested three large orders of Shanghai lumpia. I had her deliver one each to Wet Spot and Green Room and bring one for the Alaska girls. Hey, I had a 10% discount coupon to use. And maybe those three gin and sodas I consumed during my Alaska visit enhanced my generosity.

Then Swan and I had a should we stay or should we go conversation, and the result was the decision to do a nightcap at Wet Spot. I made the determination that I had had my fill of gin for the night, so I switched to Zero beer. My good intentions to have just one were stymied when I got comped a second beer, but who am I to say no to a freebie? But it was two and out for us, and we made it home safe and sound. The leftover pudding was waiting for me to enjoy as a bedtime snack. All’s well that ends well!

And it appears the USA is making a comeback: Trump has just won the election! I reckon a celebration is in order tonight!

With the future secured (for now, at least), I can indulge in some Facebook memories:

Today’s YouTube features Reekay reacting to the election. I’ve never seen him talk about politics before. He identifies as a “Libertarian-Constitutionalist.” Again, given the options, Trump was the best choice for America. I’m looking forward to Vance in 2028, assuming I live that long.

Since I’m not in mourning for my country, I can afford some smiles:

Alrighty then. Swan is taking a “me day” to spend with her family. And I’ve got some celebrating to do. I reckon a Trump victory is as good an excuse for some beers as any! Back tomorrow!

Well, I did have a pretty sweet Sunday. I report, you decide.

In the good ol’ days, we hit McDonald’s after the Candy Walk. Those days are gone now, but Swan fed me at home.

It wasn’t long before it was time to make the trek to Hideaway Bar for the feeding.

I satisfied my thirst with gin and soda water. Two in an hour, then I paid my tab and headed across the highway for my dinner date at John’s place.

After two more gin and sodas during our dinner hour at John’s, we moseyed up the highway to enjoy a nightcap at the Green Room. We were there for an hour, enjoying watching the pool players, and I imbibed my final two gin and sodas for the night. That made six in three hours, which seems to be my limit. Nothing untoward happened; I just knew that I’d had enough, and it was time to call it a night. Drinking gin is twice as expensive as beer, but I drink half as much. If my math is correct, cutting out the beer carbs isn’t costing much. A sixty-calorie pudding dessert at home and my sweet Sunday was complete.

Calories in: 1600 Calories burned: 3800

Two years ago, I was walking the streets of Phnom Penh, Cambodia:

Back in the USA, there’s an election coming this week:

In today’s YouTube video, Reekay speaks to the skills required to live as an expat successfully. I’ve made it over six years so far. Yeah, there have been some missteps along the way, but luckily, no mishaps. Now, to keep it that way!

Comic time:

So, it’s Hash Monday once again. Vienna Sausage (Guenter) is the Hare and I’ve seen the trail map. I was going to just not go at all today because the trail ends out past the end of Rizal Extension. But Michael will have his car there and I’ve reserved a seat for a ride back to town after the Hash. As for the trail, I didn’t see any good potential shortcuts, so I’ll make my own way. The My Bitch trail will get me to the finish just fine. And yes, beer is the only option at the On-Home, so I’ll get to reacquaint myself with some Zeros. I have to keep count, so I’ll try and drink slow. Full report here tomorrow.

Today is the tomorrow I worried about yesterday. And looking back, I have no complaints. Here’s how it all went down:

We walked the dogs, then walked ourselves to the Subic marketplace to stock up on sweets for the Sunday Candy Walk.

With the buying spree completed, we loaded up two big bags of candy on a trike and headed for home. A small teriyaki chicken breast with broccoli for lunch, a nap, and a blog post. Then, it was time to get ready for the rest of the day. Swan wanted something to beach about so I gave her three options. She chose Baloy, and at the appointed hour, we commenced our walk. [Ha! I’m sure most readers got the “something to beach about” allusion, but Grammarly suggested I change “beach” to “talk.” Get your mind out of the gutter, Gram. I’m talking about the sandy places Swan loves.]

Kokomo owner Steve says the floating bar will be anchored on Sunday, undergo some maintenance, and open for business on Friday. Whoopee!

After my first two wines, we headed up the beach to Treasure Island Resort for some live music and food.

Two glasses of Treasure Island wine, and we departed for home. It was only 7:30, but I’d had enough. I would have drank more beers during the amount of time we spent at the beach, but Zero is 3% alcohol, and wine is 14%. I wasn’t drunk or anything, but why press your luck? Once home, I whipped up a batch of sugar-free vanilla pudding, and that more than satisfied my sweet tooth’s cravings. It was a relatively short but nice evening out.

And that is how day two in my new lifestyle went down.

Those pictures from the Halloween SOB I promised:

And my favorite costume of the night:

In other news, we met a Hasher from Vietnam named Zach at the Subic anniversary Hash, and he told us about a special group of Hashers from around the world who are doing something called the 7-Eleven Hash. It’s basically an urban Hash where the group hikes through town, stopping at every 7-Eleven convenience store along the chosen route. Zach said no Hash from the Philippines had done this event. Well, the Subic Hash took that as a challenge to be the first; this coming Thursday (11/7), we shall march!

Speaking of something different, that trip to Cambodia two years ago was also a nice change of pace.

Today’s YouTube video is something different. Short and sweet (well, maybe sweet is the wrong word) sharing eight facts about farting you might not have known. And now you do. You are welcome!

Smile time:

Back to the usual Sunday routines starting with the Hideaway feeding. I’ll be doing gin and soda there. Then dinner at John’s place. I reckon I’ll wash down whatever I eat with some wine. Got some SOB coupons to burn as well, so we’ll see what we’re in the mood for come time for the nightcap. Exciting shit, eh?